Department for Transport

Railways: Capital Investment

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Governance for Rail Investment Projects (GRIP)system for assessing rail enhancement schemes is still being used for any schemes; and if so, what are the criteria for determining that GRIP is to be used.

baroness sugg: GRIP is Network Rail’s project delivery methodology, developed to manage project delivery and governance. All rail infrastructure investment projects are subject to GRIP. The Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP) approach separates rail enhancements from the periodic review process which determines the five-year funding settlements for operating, maintaining and renewing the network. There are now three key decision points for evaluating enhancements proposals using a pipeline approach: the decision to develop, the decision to design and the decision to deliver (final investment decision). Each decision point is informed by a HMT-compliant business case and assessed for strategic fit, value for money, affordability and deliverability of the proposal. It should be noted that these stages do not directly align with the Governance of Railway Investment Projects (GRIP) stages used by Network Rail, however some of the later stages will be informed by GRIP related activities. Network Rail will only commit to deliver projects once design work is complete and there are robust delivery and cost estimates to inform good decision-making.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Turkey: Detainees

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 18 September (HL9903), whether they will now answer the question asked, namely how many separatecases of detention in Turkey have been raised with the government of Turkey; and on how many occasions each of those cases of detention have been raised.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​As stated in my answer of 18 September 2018 (HL9903), we do not reveal details of all the cases we have raised with the Turkish authorities nor the frequency with which we have raised them. These are private conversations between our two governments. However we will continue to raise key human rights issues, including individual cases where appropriate and in accordance with the criteria outlined in my answer of 18 September 2018 (HL9904), with Turkey.

Zaporozhye Titanium and Magnesium Combine

baroness smith of newnham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possible security implications for the UK of the privatisation of the ZTMC Titanium Mine in Ukraine.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​In May this year the Ukrainian Government Committee on Economic Policy in Kyiv approved a list of large state-owned enterprises which would be privatised in 2018. This included Zaporizhia Titanium and Magnesium Combine, which was previously managed by the State Property Fund. It is not yet clear who will take over management of the company. We have not made a separate assessment of the security implications for the UK.

Jamal Khashoggi

lord lamont of lerwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with EU member state governments about the possibility of imposing sanctions on Saudi officials once the outcome of investigations into the disappearance ofJamal Khashoggi is known.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary remains in close contact with international partners, including his counterparts in the US, France and Germany on the case of Jamal Khashoggi. The Foreign Secretary has issued two joint statements alongside his G7 counterparts, including the US, on 17 and 23 October. He has also issued two joint statements with his French and German counterparts, on 14 and 21 October.

Cameroon: Elections

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the fairness of the presidential election held in Cameroon on 7 October.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The African Union's Election Observation Mission found that the elections were conducted in a relatively orderly manner in most of the country but violence affected polling in the Anglophone regions. The Minister for Africa was concerned by reports of violence and casualties on polling day in Anglophone regions and by how difficult it was for citizens to vote there. She called on all parties to follow proper procedure for tallying results and exercise restraint.

Department of Health and Social Care

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Prisons

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Department of Health and Social Care has spent on (1) drug, and (2) alcohol, treatment in prisons in England and Wales in the 2017/18 financial year.

lord o'shaughnessy: This information is not available in the format requested.

Suicide: Gambling

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of suicides that were linked to gambling addiction or problem gambling from 2010 till 2018.

lord o'shaughnessy: There is currently no reliable estimate of the number of suicides linked to gambling addiction or problem gambling in the United Kingdom.

Department for International Development

India: Overseas Aid

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much UK Official Development Assistance has been directed to India in each of the last five years; through what channels such assistance was directed; in which states it was directed; and how many staff worked at the Department for International Development in New Delhi in each of those years.

lord bates: Our bilateral aid programme with India ended in 2015. The UK has forged a new development partnership with India that delivers benefits for both countries and our joint role in the world. Britain’s new cooperation with India aims to foster inclusive growth, create new investment opportunities, develop markets and stimulate mutual prosperity. Under this new UK-India development partnership, our ODA funds the sharing of expertise and the investment of development capital, the returns on which are available for reinvestment. This helps develop markets, trade, investment, technology and partnership opportunities for British as well as Indian companies and organisations. The following net Official Development Assistance (ODA) has been directed to India from various UK government departments and agencies in the five years 2012-2016. Figures for 2017 will be released in November. Data on the provision of assistance to each state is not available.YearAmount (net)2012291,791,3852013268,040,9852014278,796,0482015185,579,807201692,620,387This ODA has been directed through a number of channels, which are set out in the attached table. The following data shows staff in DFID working in India. There are a number of regional teams within these figures.These teams are based in India but do not work on India specific work, such as a regional IT and HR team. The figures are for total staff, not headcount. Where one person has left and been replaced by another within a year, this is classed as two people. Figures for 2018 are for January to September. Figures for 2013 and previous years are not available.YearNo. of Staff2014154201512720161002017108201886 



Channels through which ODA was directed
(PDF Document, 120.81 KB)

Developing Countries: Family Planning

baroness anelay of st johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UN Population Fund reportThe Power of Choice: reproductive rights and the demographic transition, published in October; and whether they plan to respond to the recommendations outlined in that report.

lord bates: We welcome UNFPA’s new report and the breadth of important ground it covers. While we are currently digesting the report’s findings we are delighted that UNFPA emphasises among its recommendations issues as varied as ending child marriage, championing reproductive rights, achieving gender equality and reaching young people and adolescents; all areas in which the UK is proud to lead the world. We will continue to be a strong partner to UNFPA, including on working to reduce unmet need for modern family planning and to support the demographic transition in the poorest countries.

Development Aid

baroness coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Respecting communities in International Development: language and cultural understanding, published in June, in particular its finding that the lack of attention to language by the Department for International Development and others can frustrate the success and sustainability of development programmes.

lord bates: We recognise the value of language capability for the delivery of our core mission and programmes. In particular, it enables us to understand contextual issues and needs, and helps us to communicate, engage stakeholders, develop positive relationships, and influence across our delivery chain. To ensure that we have deep capability in terms of local context, culture and languages, we employ Staff Appointed in Country (SAIC) as a core part of our operating model. Of the 1345 DFID staff employed in our overseas offices, 61% are SAIC. Our SAIC work in a range of advisory, needs assessment, programme design and management, and evaluation roles. SAIC are recruited with a high level of English capability. For DFID’s UK staff deploying to locations overseas where English is not an official operating language, we seek to recruit people with the specified level of local language required for those roles. Where this is not possible, we provide language tuition to develop people to the required proficiency level. This tuition is delivered in a variety of ways dependent on the needs of the individual and the team they will be joining, e.g. via group tuition and some is immersive 1:1 tuition undertaken overseas. Through our procurement and funding processes we also verify that our delivery partners have the capability to understand and operate in the relevant country context. We are reviewing our current approach to language capability and considering how language skills feature through DFID’s resourcing and employee lifecycles. We will consider the findings of the report as part of our review.

Burma: Humanitarian Aid

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actionthey havetaken in response to reported steps by the Burmese authorities to criminalise humanitarian aid groups working in Kachin and Shan States.

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the findingsin the report by Fortify Rights, "They Block Everything": Avoidable Deprivations in Humanitarian Aid to Ethnic Civilians Displaced by War in Kachin State,Myanmar, published in August.

lord bates: We are deeply concerned by continued reports of violence in Kachin and also northern Shan States, which has led to a further 8,000 people being displaced since February 2018. We are aware of the report and consider the findings to be credible. We agree with the conclusions that access for international groups to Kachin state is needed urgently. The UK continues to push the Burmese authorities for access at all opportunities.

Burma: Humanitarian Aid

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what humanitarian assistancethey are providing to internally displaced people in Kachin and Shan State.

lord bates: We are deeply concerned by continued reports of violence in Kachin and northern Shan States, which has led to a further 8,000 people being displaced since February 2018. DFID is providing humanitarian support to displaced populations. In the last financial year, DFID spent £6.1 million on humanitarian assistance for conflict affected people in Kachin and Northern Shan states. We continue to raise our concerns with both military and civilian Ministers in the Government of Burma.

Burma: Humanitarian Aid

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which restrictions on humanitarian aid to internally displaced people in Burma may amount to violations of international human rights andhumanitarianlaw; and if so, what steps they plan to take in response.

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what istheir assessment of current restrictions on humanitarian access to Kachin and Shan States.

lord bates: We are deeply concerned by continued reports of violence in Kachin and also northern Shan States, which has led to a further 8,000 people being displaced since February 2018. We are aware of the report and consider the findings to be credible. We agree with the conclusions that access for international groups to Kachin state is needed urgently. The UK continues to push the Burmese authorities for access at all opportunities.

Developing Countries: Minority Groups

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what account they take of the (1) persecution of minorities, and (2) possibility of crimes against humanity and genocide being committed against minorities, when determining overseas development aid priorities.

lord bates: The UK is firmly committed to protecting ethnic and religious minorities from persecution and violence. We work to ensure that aid reaches the most vulnerable including those from religious minorities where they constitute part of that category. The situation of minority communities, including faith communities, is taken into account when assessing those most in need and we raise the issue regularly with partner countries.

Ministry of Defence

Defence: Modernisation

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government whenthey intend to publish the results of the Modernising Defence Programme.

earl howe: We expect to be in a position to share the results of the Modernising Defence Programme later in the autumn.

Type 31 Frigates

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government whenthey anticipate placing the first order for the Type 31e frigate.

earl howe: We plan to award a single design and build contract by the end of 2019.

Trident Submarines

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in delivering theDreadnought submarine programme; and when they estimate that programme will complete.

earl howe: The Dreadnought submarine programme entered a new three-year phase of work, to be conducted in tranches, in spring this year. The design and build of the first of class, Dreadnought, continues and she remains on track to enter service in 2030. The build phase for the entire class will take approximately 20 years. The Dreadnought programme will ensure the United Kingdom has a credible, independent and capable nuclear deterrent out to the 2060s.The seventh Annual Update to Parliament on the United Kingdom's Future Nuclear Deterrent will be published later this year.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in delivering the maritime patrol aircraft programme.

earl howe: Good progress continues to be made on the P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircraft programme with the first RAF aircraft remaining on track for delivery in 2019. In addition, construction work on dedicated infrastructure at RAF Lossiemouth to support those who will operate and maintain the RAF P-8A fleet commenced in April 2018, and is progressing according to the agreed schedule. In April 2018 the first RAF squadron that will operate the P-8A, Number 120 Squadron, was stood up. Personnel have already begun undertaking training courses and, through the Seedcorn initiative, a small number of RAF personnel have maintained the skills required to operate fixed-wing Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current total value of their defence contracts with the government of Saudi Arabia.

earl howe: The Ministry of Defence does not hold the information requested centrally. However export figures to the Middle East region are published annually. These figures can be found on the Government website.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/defence-and-security-exports-for-2017

Home Office

Capital Punishment

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by the Minister of State for the Home Office and Security on 10 October (167956) and Baroness Williams of Trafford on 9 October (HL9860 and HL9890), in respect of the two occasions cited, whether the individuals concerned; their families; or their lawyers were informed of the decision to provide assistance without a death penalty assurance.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers bythe Minister of State for the Home Office and Security on 10 October (167956) and Baroness Williams of Trafford on 9 October (HL9860 and HL9890), whether there are UK criminal investigations or prosecutions ongoing regarding the individuals in respect of whom they failed to require a death penalty assurance between 2001 and 2015.

baroness williams of trafford: I can only reiterate the response to the Written Answers referred to by the Noble Lord, which stated that due to the potential to harm on-going criminal investigations or future prosecutions, and the confidentiality attached to mutual legal assistance, it would not be appropriate to share further information in relation to the two cases previously referred to.

Money Laundering

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the most recent annual figures for the amount of money estimated to be laundered in the UK; and whether those figures present an increase on previous years.

baroness williams of trafford: The National Crime Agency has recently published the National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime, (available at http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/905-national-strategic-assessment-for-soc-2018/file) which assesses the scale of money laundering and concludes there is no reliable estimate of the total value of laundered funds that impacts on the UK.This assessment went on to say that, given the volume of financial transactions transiting the UK, there is a realistic possibility the scale of money laundering impacting the UK annually is in the hundreds of billions of pounds.



NCA - National Strategic Assessment SCOC 2018
(PDF Document, 1.5 MB)

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: Israel

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that United Kingdom companies are not selling equipment to Israel to be used for the demolition of Palestinian villages in the West Bank.

baroness fairhead: Where equipment is subject to export controls the exporters must have a licence authorising shipment. All export licence applications are assessed rigorously against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. The Consolidated Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to consider the impact of providing equipment and its capabilities. The Government will not grant a licence if to do so would be inconsistent with these criteria, including respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.We continue to raise concerns with the Israeli authorities about demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their homes. The British Government is fully committed to the promotion of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Where a company decides to trade is ultimately a decision for each company to reach, taking account of the legal and regulatory environment, as well as international human rights law. The British Government will continue to encourage and foster respect for human rights among UK businesses.